Contents    Prev    Next    Last

Chapter III. Strengthen Alliances to Defeat Global Terrorism & Work to Prevent Attacks

 Section C.  The Way Ahead

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

        From the beginning, the War on Terror has been both a battle of arms and a battle of

        ideas ­ a fight against the terrorists and against their murderous ideology.  In the short

        run, the fight involves using military force and other instruments of national power to kill

        or capture the terrorists, deny them safe haven or control of any nation; prevent them

        from gaining access to WMD; and cut off their sources of support.  In the long run,

        winning the war on terror means winning the battle of ideas, for it is ideas that can turn

        the disenchanted into murderers willing to kill innocent victims.  

         

        While the War on Terror is a battle of ideas, it is not a battle of religions.  The

        transnational terrorists confronting us today exploit the proud religion of Islam to serve a

        violent political vision:  the establishment, by terrorism and subversion, of a totalitarian

        empire that denies all political and religious freedom.  These terrorists distort the idea of

        jihad into a call for murder against those they regard as apostates or unbelievers ­

        including Christians, Jews, Hindus, other religious traditions, and all Muslims who

        disagree with them.  Indeed, most of the terrorist attacks since September 11 have

        occurred in Muslim countries ­ and most of the victims have been Muslims.

         

        To wage this battle of ideas effectively, we must be clear-eyed about what does and does

        not give rise to terrorism:

             

        ·  Terrorism is not the inevitable by-product of poverty.  Many of the September 11

            hijackers were from middle-class backgrounds, and many terrorist leaders, like bin

            Laden, are from privileged upbringings.

         

 

 

 

                                                                                           National Security Strategy    9

 

             ·  Terrorism is not simply a result of hostility to U.S. policy in Iraq.  The United States

                 was attacked on September 11 and earlier, well before we toppled the Saddam Hussein

                 regime.  Moreover, countries that stayed out of the Iraq war have not been spared from

                 terror attack.

             

             ·  Terrorism is not simply a result of Israeli-Palestinian issues.  Al-Qaida plotting for the

                 September 11 attacks began in the 1990s, during an active period in the peace process.  

 

             ·  Terrorism is not simply a response to our efforts to prevent terror attacks.  The al-

                 Qaida network targeted the United States long before the United States targeted al-

                 Qaida.  Indeed, the terrorists are emboldened more by perceptions of weakness than by

                 demonstrations of resolve.  Terrorists lure recruits by telling them that we are decadent

                 and easily intimidated and will retreat if attacked.

         

             The terrorism we confront today springs from:

                   

             ·  Political alienation.  Transnational terrorists are recruited from people who have no

                   voice in their own government and see no legitimate way to promote change in their

                   own country.  Without a stake in the existing order, they are vulnerable to

                   manipulation by those who advocate a perverse vision based on violence and

                   destruction.

                   

             ·  Grievances that can be blamed on others.  The failures the terrorists feel and see are

                   blamed on others, and on perceived injustices from the recent or sometimes distant

                   past.  The terrorists' rhetoric keeps wounds associated with this past fresh and raw, a

                   potent motivation for revenge and terror.

                   

             ·  Sub-cultures of conspiracy and misinformation.  Terrorists recruit more effectively

                   from populations whose information about the world is contaminated by falsehoods

                   and corrupted by conspiracy theories.  The distortions keep alive grievances and filter

                   out facts that would challenge popular prejudices and self-serving propaganda.

                   

             ·  An ideology that justifies murder.  Terrorism ultimately depends upon the appeal of

                   an ideology that excuses or even glorifies the deliberate killing of innocents.  A proud

                   religion ­ the religion of Islam ­ has been twisted and made to serve an evil end, as in

                   other times and places other religions have been similarly abused.

 

             Defeating terrorism in the long run requires that each of these factors be addressed.  The

             genius of democracy is that it provides a counter to each.

             

             ·  In place of alienation, democracy offers an ownership stake in society, a chance to

                   shape one's own future.

             

             ·  In place of festering grievances, democracy offers the rule of law, the peaceful

                   resolution of disputes, and the habits of advancing interests through compromise.  

             

 

        National Security Strategy

10

 

        ·  In place of a culture of conspiracy and misinformation, democracy offers freedom of

             speech, independent media, and the marketplace of ideas, which can expose and

             discredit falsehoods, prejudices, and dishonest propaganda.  

 

        ·  In place of an ideology that justifies murder, democracy offers a respect for human

             dignity that abhors the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians.

         

        Democracy is the opposite of terrorist tyranny, which is why the terrorists denounce it

        and are willing to kill the innocent to stop it.  Democracy is based on empowerment,

        while the terrorists' ideology is based on enslavement.  Democracies expand the freedom

        of their citizens, while the terrorists seek to impose a single set of narrow beliefs.  

        Democracy sees individuals as equal in worth and dignity, having an inherent potential to

        create and to govern themselves.  The terrorists see individuals as objects to be exploited,

        and then to be ruled and oppressed.

         

        Democracies are not immune to terrorism.  In some democracies, some ethnic or

        religious groups are unable or unwilling to grasp the benefits of freedom otherwise

        available in the society.  Such groups can evidence the same alienation and despair that

        the transnational terrorists exploit in undemocratic states.  This accounts for the

        emergence in democratic societies of homegrown terrorists such as were responsible for

        the bombings in London in July 2005 and for the violence in some other nations.  Even in

        these cases, the long-term solution remains deepening the reach of democracy so that all

        citizens enjoy its benefits.

         

        The strategy to counter the lies behind the terrorists' ideology is to empower the very

        people the terrorists most want to exploit:  the faithful followers of Islam.  We will

        continue to support political reforms that empower peaceful Muslims to practice and

        interpret their faith.  The most vital work will be done within the Islamic world itself, and

        Jordan, Morocco, and Indonesia have begun to make important strides in this effort.  

        Responsible Islamic leaders need to denounce an ideology that distorts and exploits Islam

        for destructive ends and defiles a proud religion.  

         

        Many of the Muslim faith are already making this commitment at great personal risk.  

        They realize they are a target of this ideology of terror.  Everywhere we have joined in

        the fight against terrorism, Muslim allies have stood beside us, becoming partners in this

        vital cause.  Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have launched effective efforts to capture or kill

        the leadership of the al-Qaida network.  Afghan troops are in combat against Taliban

        remnants.  Iraqi soldiers are sacrificing to defeat al-Qaida in their own country.  These

        brave citizens know the stakes ­ the survival of their own liberty, the future of their own

        region, the justice and humanity of their own traditions ­ and the United States is proud

        to stand beside them.

         

        The advance of freedom and human dignity through democracy is the long-term solution

        to the transnational terrorism of today.  To create the space and time for that long-term

        solution to take root, there are four steps we will take in the short term.

         

 

                                                                                           National Security Strategy  11

 

        ·  Prevent attacks by terrorist networks before they occur.  A government has no higher

             obligation than to protect the lives and livelihoods of its citizens.  The hard core of the

             terrorists cannot be deterred or reformed; they must be tracked down, killed, or captured.  

             They must be cut off from the network of individuals and institutions on which they

             depend for support.  That network must in turn be deterred, disrupted, and disabled by

             using a broad range of tools.  

             

        ·  Deny WMD to rogue states and to terrorist allies who would use them without

             hesitation.  Terrorists have a perverse moral code that glorifies deliberately targeting

             innocent civilians.  Terrorists try to inflict as many casualties as possible and seek WMD

             to this end.  Denying terrorists WMD will require new tools and new international

             approaches.  We are working with partner nations to improve security at vulnerable

             nuclear sites worldwide and bolster the ability of states to detect, disrupt, and respond to

             terrorist activity involving WMD.

         

        ·  Deny terrorist groups the support and sanctuary of rogue states.  The United States

             and its allies in the War on Terror make no distinction between those who commit acts of

             terror and those who support and harbor them, because they are equally guilty of murder.  

             Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror, such as Syria or Iran, has chosen to

             be an enemy of freedom, justice, and peace.  The world must hold those regimes to

             account.

         

        ·  Deny the terrorists control of any nation that they would use as a base and

             launching pad for terror.  The terrorists' goal is to overthrow a rising democracy; claim

             a strategic country as a haven for terror; destabilize the Middle East; and strike America

             and other free nations with ever-increasing violence.  This we can never allow.  This is

             why success in Afghanistan and Iraq is vital, and why we must prevent terrorists from

             exploiting ungoverned areas.

         

        America will lead in this fight, and we will continue to partner with allies and will recruit

        new friends to join the battle.

         

Afghanistan and Iraq:  The Front Lines in the War on Terror

 

Winning the War on Terror requires winning the battles in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

In Afghanistan, the successes already won must be consolidated.  A few years ago, Afghanistan

was condemned to a pre-modern nightmare.  Now it has held two successful free elections and is

a staunch ally in the war on terror.  Much work remains, however, and the Afghan people

deserve the support of the United States and the entire international community.

 

The terrorists today see Iraq as the central front of their fight against the United States.  They

want to defeat America in Iraq and force us to abandon our allies before a stable democratic

government has been established that can provide for its own security.  The terrorists believe

they would then have proven that the United States is a waning power and an unreliable friend.  

In the chaos of a broken Iraq the terrorists believe they would be able to establish a safe haven

 

        National Security Strategy

12

 

like they had in Afghanistan, only this time in the heart of a geopolitically vital region.  

Surrendering to the terrorists would likewise hand them a powerful recruiting tool:  the

perception that they are the vanguard of history.

 

When the Iraqi Government, supported by the Coalition, defeats the terrorists, terrorism will be

dealt a critical blow.  We will have broken one of al-Qaida's most formidable factions ­ the

network headed by Zarqawi ­ and denied him the safe haven he seeks in Iraq.  And the success

of democracy in Iraq will be a launching pad for freedom's success throughout a region that for

decades has been a source of instability and stagnation.

 

The Administration has explained in some detail the strategy for helping the Iraqi people defeat

the terrorists and neutralize the insurgency in Iraq.  This requires supporting the Iraqi people in

integrating activity along three broad tracks:

 

Political:  Work with Iraqis to:

 

·  Isolate hardened enemy elements who are unwilling to accept a peaceful political process;  

     

·  Engage those outside the political process who are willing to turn away from violence and

    invite them into that process; and  

     

·  Build stable, pluralistic, and effective national institutions that can protect the interests of all

    Iraqis.

 

Security:  Work with Iraqi Security Forces to:

·  Clear areas of enemy control by remaining on the offensive, killing and capturing enemy

    fighters, and denying them safe haven;  

 

·  Hold areas freed from enemy control with an adequate Iraqi security force presence that

    ensures these areas remain under the control of a peaceful Iraqi Government; and  

 

·  Build Iraqi Security Forces and the capacity of local institutions to deliver services, advance

    the rule of law, and nurture civil society.

 

Economic:  Work with the Iraqi Government to:  

     

·  Restore Iraq's neglected infrastructure so that Iraqis can meet increasing demand and the

    needs of a growing economy;

 

·  Reform Iraq's economy so that it can be self-sustaining based on market principles; and  

 

·  Build the capacity of Iraqi institutions to maintain their infrastructure, rejoin the international

    economic community, and improve the general welfare and prosperity of all Iraqis.  \

National Security Strategy  13